The sense of smell was not a gift in this case. Everything smelled of death and decay, so strong that it stung my nose. My imagination wondered if the previous homeowners were in the house somewhere, decaying. But considering how horrible the house looked, all that would be left would be bones. Though there could be other bodies in here, rotting. Who knew? For sure, it gave me the heebie-jeebies.
I saw the haze of a light in another room filter in through the doorway that led somewhere else. I crept quietly toward the source of light. It was a single candle in a "family" room or what had once been a family room. Tattered and torn up couches were lined against the walls. The stains continued in this room on the floor, the walls, and the furniture. A shiver crawled up my spine and the breath caught in my chest.
I started to back up, suddenly, feeling like I was over my head when my back bumped into something solid. The cold, arctic, solid steel of a body.
“I smelled the sweetness of your fear before you had even entered this house,” a male voice barely whispered so close to my ear.
I turned with my stake in my hand, ready to strike only to be punched so hard in the face that the force pushed me to the ground. I lost the grip on my stake to steady myself as my side made contact with the floor. Pain radiated and pulsed hotly from my left ear to my jaw.
I shifted onto my butt and looked up at my attacker. Like his men, he was wearing all black. His hair was even black; long and tied in a low ponytail. He was paler than snow, almost a blue-pale, making his cheekbones look like they could pop out of his skin. And his eyes were a ruddier, red fired from within the black that filled them. Even as he looked about thirty when he was frozen in time, he was disgusting and creepy. But his gaze was so potent and otherworldly that I knew he was older than Zane. And the power that radiated off of him made me assume that he was a Master, which meant I had been set up. I would kill Anahita for this if I survived.
His hollowed laughter echoed throughout the room, showing off long sharp fangs. “He said you would come.”
My heart stopped for a minute. Anahita hadn’t sold me out. It was someone else who had texted me.
“I told him that you couldn’t possibly be that stupid,” he continued in that empty voice. “But here you are.”
“I came after the Scelestus that sent vampires after my sister.” I croaked, wincing at the lack of confidence in my voice while feeling around for the stake that I had dropped.
He laughed again, devoid of any emotion, and the sound chilled me to the bone. “That would be my childe. He’s a bit of a sadist, I’m afraid.”
“Aren’t you all?” I commented.
“Yes, I suppose we are.” He bent down to get closer and leered at me. “But my childe loves to find ways to hurt you.”
“Does he have a name?”
"He does, and you will learn soon enough. Not much longer now. I would say you only have days left.” He straightened himself and tapped a finger on his chin. “Now what to do with you…” He shrugged a shoulder. “I can’t kill you. But I can maim you.”
He came at me, ready to kick me while I was down. I scooted back just in time to feel the air of his kick and then hopped up. I was still without my weapon, and I didn't have time to look as he came at me again, throwing a punch to my face. I could only bring up both of my arms to protect it.
His fist connected with my forearms, making them feel like they had shattered. I tried my best to take one down after his punch and hit him in the side with my right fist. But it did nothing. It was like I had punched a block of ice. The skin on my knuckles was scraped, and my hand began to feel numb.
He went after my side, and I couldn't avoid it or protect it. His fist connected with my left side, and I felt a rib or two crack and pain like needles spread out from the area. Especially since the bruise on my abdomen hadn’t healed yet. He was too powerful. I couldn’t win this.
I took a small step back with my left leg and turned to knee him in the stomach with my right, like some sort of skip hop. Although he made a grunting noise, it didn't seem to stop him. He took a swing to my head, and I ducked, hearing a whoosh of air above.
I was in a position to make a girly move. It wouldn't be my finest moment of the battle, but I was hoping it would give me enough time to run out of the house and save myself from further damage. So with all the strength I could muster, I punched him in the nuts.
He didn’t quite go down, but he did curl in on himself and paused there, stunned. His eyes blazed a fire hotter than burning coals. He was beyond furious with me. I didn’t care, I just needed out of there.
I wouldn't dare run past him toward the kitchen, the way I had come in. But making a quick glance behind, I saw the front door. I turned to run for it, when he seized my previously injured ankle, tripping me in the process. I shouted in pain but managed to grab a metal standing lamp on my way down, falling to my knees.
My hands felt burned and irritated from gripping the lamp pole, and I wanted to drop it. But instead, I swung the pole behind me, hoping that I had connected with something. I heard another grunt and a crash, and felt him loosen his grip on my ankle. I pulled my leg away and looked behind me. He was close enough to attack me again. I couldn't tell what he was going to do, but it would be enough to cripple me for sure.
Turning onto my back, I swung the lamp pole again, hitting him in the face with the now shattered light bulb that was still screwed into the top. Somewhere along the way, the lampshade had disappeared. His head involuntarily turned to the right, leaving jagged slices that began to ooze black.
I propelled myself backward with the force of my legs, still gripping the pole. With the little space that I had made for myself, I staggered to a standing position to go after the door one more time. My hand had made it to the knob when I felt a fist grab my hair and pull me back against him. He yanked the pole out of my hands, leaving my hands feeling blistered.
My heart was slamming into my chest. My breathing was labored, but rapid. My body shaking from fear. And my mouth so dry that I wasn’t sure I could talk.
“You were stupid to have come here.” He hissed below my right ear, against my neck. I could feel the scrape of his fangs. His putrid breath stung my nose, and all I could think about was that I didn’t want to cry in front of him. I didn’t want him to realize how truly terrified I was, even if he knew it by my scent.
"In a few days' time, you will know real pain," he continued. There was a pause before I felt a stabbing pain in my back and then a rip through my front. My body did more than ache or throb as I looked down my front to see the lamp pole sticking out of my right side. Barely any of the lightbulb was left, and blood began to trickle from the wound.
My breath caught in my throat, and he let go of my hair. I tried to breathe, but every intake or even movement caused my muscles to spasm around the wound, wracking my body with intense pain that spiraled out. I couldn’t help the shaking as my body now throbbed in agony with the pumping of my blood that was pooling around the front of my shirt and I fell to my knees, no longer able to keep myself upright.
My brain was already beginning to shut down, as it couldn’t direct signals to the rest of my body. I tried to focus through the pain, tried to argue with myself that I couldn't pass out here, but I started to fall forward, making the embedded pole pull, adding a sharp twist to the pounding torment. I couldn't keep my eyes open through that as I passed out.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
…. “She needs a hospital,” Nate’s voice drifted into my foggy head.
“No, hospitals,” Finn replied. “They won’t understand why she heals fast. Or anything else about her.”
I felt movement underneath me. Like a steady reverberating rhythm that was somewhat soothing. I couldn't open my eyes, and my mouth felt like cotton was stuffed in there, but I wanted to tell them I was okay.
I heard a moan resound in the space, and shortly after, realized it was me. Someone grabbed my hand.
“My parents are there. They will understand,
” Nate snapped.
“Do your parents know she’s half-Fae?”
Silence filled the area as my senses were starting to come back and I really wished they hadn’t. Pain wracked my body from head to ankle, more so in the middle, and intensified when I moved. I groaned again, and the vibration suddenly made me aware of a sharp, throbbing pain in my side.
“Why isn’t she healing?” Meredith’s panic voice sounded. “There’s so much blood.”
“The wound has a grey discoloration. That pole was made of iron,” Finn explained. “It’s a Fae vulnerability.”
There was a gentle touch to my face.
"Caden, I'm going to have to do something that's going to hurt. A lot," Finn said as gently as possible. "But I have to stop the bleeding, and this is the only thing I know how to do."
I heard a zap and a sizzle in the air, and suddenly my wound felt like it was burning. The heat kept getting hotter and hotter until I was sure my flesh was peeling away. I cried out, and still, Finn’s magic seared me from front to the back. My back buckled in pain and I frantically tried to grab whatever was in range. The only thing I felt was car carpet beneath my fingertips. It wasn’t enough to hold onto. I thrashed my limbs to get away from the burning.
“Hold her arms!” Finn shouted, pushing another wave of magic into my body, lighting everything within on fire.
I felt pressure on my arms, but nothing to grab onto to squeeze through the pain. Another burst of pain shook my body, and I ground my teeth since I found no relief in a physical form. Finally shouting out one last time, I couldn’t take anymore, and I passed out again…
✽✽✽
I came to again, in a bed softer than my own, surrounded by burgundy walls and black curtains. I was back in the room that I was starting to acquaint as mine in Underhill. My body still ached, and I didn't bother to move. Even my eyelids hurt.
I heard soft sniffling to my right, and very slowly turned my head that way to see Meredith in tears sitting in a plaid armchair. Nate was sitting in another next to Meredith clenching and unclenching his fists. I felt guilt pool again in the pit of my sour stomach.
“How long have I been out?” I uttered throatily, my mouth and throat still dry and grimaced from the headache that began to pound at the base of my head from turning it. Not to mention the tensed neck muscles that sent achy shards splintering down my spine.
“You're awake…,” Meredith meekly responded.
“Yeah.” I tried smiling, but even my facial muscles hurt and I winced. “How long have I been out?”
“A couple of hours,” Nate replied despondently.
I went to sit up, but dizziness and the headache now at my temples made my head swim and brought nausea to the forefront, so I leaned against the headboard of the bed. Not to mention a sharp pain on my right side pulled, causing me to cringe.
Meredith hurried to my side. “What do you need?”
I allowed a small smile show. “I could use some water.” My throat was still scratchy.
She poured a glass from a pitcher on the nightstand and handed it to me. I took a few sips, feeling it refresh and clear my throat.
Nate opened his mouth to speak. “What were you planning on accomplishing by almost getting yourself killed?”
“I was actually hoping to take on my challenger,” I said slowly.
Nate's face curled into angry annoyance, and Meredith's was riddled with anxiety.
“I was angry,” I tried to explain. “I wanted revenge.”
“And how did that go for you?” he spat sarcastically.
I didn’t have the energy to be angry at him. “Not as I planned,” I responded calmly. I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “So, how and where did you find me?”
Anger flashed in Nate's eyes. "You mean after you muted the bond? Or when you must have passed out, and the bond came back with full force and sent us to our knees?"
I avoided his gaze and bit my lip.
Meredith touched my arm. “We were pretty sure you were dying. And since Nate is an empath and now bonded to you, your pain almost took him out.”
I looked at him quickly, noticing he was around me and not exhibiting any of my pain.
“How can you be here… around me?”
“I imbued his amulet with more magic. Enough that you are muted like most of us.”
“You could do that?” I was in shock and awe.
"Apparently so." She smiled to herself. "I was desperate. Nate had collapsed in school, and I had to find a way to help him, and the spell just came to me."
“Wow.”
“I know, cool, right?” There was a small amount of glee on her face.
“So, um, where did you find me?” I was praying that they hadn’t entered that house.
“In a ditch in the woods next to the pathway to the school,” Nate spat.
I imagined that it was the same place that I had found Sera. The intention probably to send another message.
I breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't follow the bond to the house. "I'm glad you didn’t find me in that house, but I'm surprised the bond was muted that long."
Meredith bit her lip. “It wasn’t muted that long. We felt you on the move, but I had to help Nate. And Finn had to wait for Anahita to come back to help Zane.”
My eyes went wide. “What happened to Zane?”
"He apparently went ape-shit and hulked out," Meredith explained. "Finn was having a difficult time calming him, and the ward on the house was about to unleash holy hell on him. So he had to wait until Anahita came back and they subdued him."
I lifted my eyebrows. “Subdued?”
“They drugged him,” Nate replied bluntly.
“How do you subdue a vampire?” I asked in disbelief.
“Apparently Faerie wine,” Nate elaborated.
“Apparently very strong Faerie wine,” Meredith clarified. “Because he’s still out. But anyway, when we were able to, Nate and I found you.” Tears started to well in her eyes. “Caden, it was so bad. They left that pole in you…”
I looked away, mentally recalling what had happened in that house. Yeah, it had been horrible, but I didn't wish to have my friends find me like that.
Nate cleared his own throat and wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. “So, we, uh, found your phone and dialed Finn. Told him where we were and he came.”
“I think I heard you guys. I vaguely remember being in a moving vehicle. And then Finn did something to me…”
“When we pulled out the pole, we couldn’t get it to stop bleeding,” Nate continued. “You weren’t healing.”
“Apparently you have some Fae weaknesses and iron is one,” Meredith interrupted. She shrugged a shoulder. “The lamp pole was made of iron.”
I guess that explained my burning and itchy palms.
Nate gave Meredith a mildly annoyed look for interrupting him. "So, anyway, Finn had to cauterize it, using his magic."
The room got quietly awkward.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue.” My voice was soft with vulnerable humility, and I looked away not able to face them at the moment. I had caused so much pain, literally and figuratively.
“We’re going to let you rest.” Meredith came over and kissed the top of my head.
I felt my own tears spring to my eyes. “I’m sorry, Mere.”
Her smile was small as she told me to get some rest and left through the door.
Nate got up from his seated position in the armchair. “I thought you would want to know that my mom said that Sera is still stable. She’s still unconscious because of all the blood loss, but she thinks she’ll pull through.”
“Thanks, Nate,” I rasped, tears still leaking from my eyes.
His face became stiff, and a storm was brewing in his own watery eyes. “I’m glad you are alive. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
I was feeling confused. The look on Nate's face wasn't matching what he was saying, and I was about to speak when he stopped me with a gest
ure from his hand.
“But, you can’t just go off like that. You have no idea what you put me through. I thought you were dying. I felt you dying. I felt your shattered ribs. Your twisted ankle. The blow to the face. And the damage to your side. I’m the one that had to pull that pole out since Finn couldn’t touch it and Meredith wasn’t strong enough. And I’m the one that had to stitch you up while Finn stopped the bleeding.” Tears overflowed from his eyes.
The wetness on my own cheeks poured now, as I couldn’t stop crying.
“Nate, I'm so sorry. I had no idea,” I sobbed.
He wiped at his face once more with his sleeve and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. “Just promise me that you will deal with your anger in a different way.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Good.” He squeezed my hand a couple of times. “Get some sleep.” He turned away and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
I took some deep calming breaths myself. I had to change for my friends. It wasn't about them getting hurt. Maybe for Nate, it was a part of it, but it was the fact that I hadn’t told anyone what I was doing, where I was going, and I put my life in danger, selfishly. I had hurt them, not trusting their strength and friendship.
I suddenly felt drained. I was about to close my eyes, but I wondered about my side. I was too afraid of what reaction I might give in front of Nate and Meredith if I looked at it. I didn’t want my horror to traumatize my friends any more than what I already had. Now knowing how they were really a part of my pain, it seemed silly, but I held off until they had left.
I took a deep breath and pulled the side of my shirt up, recognizing for the first time that I was wearing different clothes and looked down. I expected to see a large, disgusting hole. Instead, a sizable cotton bandage covered the injury. And I wasn't brave enough to take it off yet. Eventually, I would, but not now. Not when my eyes felt heavy, and the mention of sleep sounded like bliss. I let the feeling sweep over me and fell into a heavy resting sleep.
✽✽✽
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